OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES I have watched any number of TV/celebrity/cooking show chefs put their personal spin on arguably the most classic of American dishes: fried chicken. Double-dredged, double-fried, buttermilk-brined, buttermilk-battered, dredge-egg wash-breadcrumbed, etc. Spicy seasoning, savory herbed, pre-parboiled, skillet-fried, deep-fried, even something called "baked-fried". And, with silly determination, I've attempted pretty much all of those techniques.

But then, I do something like visit my dad, lIke I did last summer—whose fried chicken is not just the one that I of course grew up with, but also the fried chicken by watch all others have been compared to since—I am yet again reminded off the old adage of simple pleasures being the best.

So, like my dad, I thawed out some store-frozen chicken thighs and drumsticks in salted cold water for a couple hours, patted them dry, them tossed them 2 pieces at a time in a brown paper with some flour that I seasoned with plenty of salt and black pepper and lightly with onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sage, and cayenne pepper, and fried them in an inch of oil over medium high heat for about 10 minutes on one side, then over slightly higher heat over the the other side for about 8 minutes, then let them dry to a crispy exterior on a bed of paper towels, simple sides of white rice, buttered lima beans, and Pillsbury Flaky Grands Biscuits serving as perfect compliments and plate fillers.

Without all that extra fuss of batters and extra cooked flour overshadowing and overwhelming the homey, rustic, earthy, tasty charms of the chicken itself, the chicken's flavor—the drums and thighs having the perfect combinations of white meat, dark meat, and fat—gets to come clean through and shine, cooked through enough to effortlessly come off the bone while maintain its juiciness. The chicken skin gets to provide all the crunch in texture, which is part of the "fun" of eating chicken, and as well as supply that concentrated chicken skin flavor usually "faked" by all that extra dredging breading. The chicken itself becomes the intended star of each bite.

And from the first bite, I was happily, in taste and in heart, home again. It's a deceptively easy and extremely tasty chicken preparation, and a fitting dish honoring the man who made me appreciate, and have a passion, for cooking. Thankfully, with food, you can go home again!